This invention generally relates to container apparatus and more particularly relates to a volumetrically efficient radioactive waste container apparatus, wherein the volumetrically efficient container apparatus includes a plurality of pockets recessed into the outside surface of the container, a plurality of lifting lugs each completely disposed within and attached to each pocket and further includes container adaptor means capable of being connected to the lifting lugs for reacting torque and lifting loads and for lifting the container.
Low-level radioactive waste generated by nuclear reactor power plants, governmental operations, hospitals and the like are packaged in containers for disposal at burial sites licensed by the United States government for such disposal. Often these wastes are in the form of spent ion exchange resins, filter media, waste sludge, chemical precipitates, and similar granular-type slurry media which result from water treatment processes in the facilities generating the wastes. Of course, these wastes should be isolated from the environment for biological and health reasons. In this regard, burial of low-level radioactive wastes is a relatively inexpensive means for isolating the wastes and for providing adequate long-term shielding from the radiation emitting from the wastes. However, the owner of the waste container to be buried is assessed certain burial fees or charges. The charges assessed the owner of the waste container are directly proportional to the volume of the external envelope defined by the container. That is, the greater the volume of the external envelope defined by the container, the greater the charges assessed the container owner. Therefore, it is desirable to design a volumetrically efficient waste container that minimizes the volume of the external envelope mentioned above and that can maximize the volume of waste material to be buried.
Many past and present designs for radioactive waste containers use a protruding fill neck at the top of the container as an opening for waste and process chemical additions as well as the attachment point for mixing blade drivers or other process flanges Of course, a sacrificial mixing blade is connected to the mixing blade driver and is disposed in the container for mixing the waste. Because the protruding fill neck extends beyond the top of the container it therefore increases the volume of the external envelope of the container. Therefore, a problem in the art has been to design a container having a fill connection that does not protrude above the top of the container.
As stated above, in many past and present designs the mixing blade driver is attached to the top of the container. It will be understood that the mixing blade driver is a motor that develops torque for rotating the mixing blade. Because the mixing blade driver is attached to the top of the container, the top of the container will thus experience the torque produced by the mixing blade driver. Therefore, the top of many past and present containers include structural members to accommodate the effects of the torque produced by the mixing blade driver. These structural members increase the volume of the external envelope defined by the container. Therefore, yet another problem in the art has been to accommodate the effects of the torque produced by the mixing blade driver while eliminating the structural members.
Moreover, many past and present designs for radioactive waste containers use container lifting lugs that protrude perpendicularly outwardly from the surface of the container. These protruding lifting lugs therefore increase the volume of the external envelope of the container. Moreover, when these lifting lugs protrude from the top surface of the container and are attached to lifting cables and pulled, a tensile load is applied to these lugs, which tensile load will tend to pull and separate these lugs from the top of the container. Therefore, still another problem in the art has been to design a container that does not have protruding lifting lugs and that does not have lifting lugs that will experience significant tensile load when pulled.
As stated hereinabove, radioactive waste containers are known. A container or flask for the transport and storage of irradiated nuclear fuel elements is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,104 issued July 30, 1985, in the name of Sydney Wearden et al. entitled "Transport and Storage Flask for Nuclear Fuel". The Wearden patent discloses a hollow flask for receiving irradiated nuclear fuel, the flask comprising a cylindrical container lined with stainless steel, and having a removable lid. Trunnions are provided at the ends of the container for use with lifting gear However, the Wearden et al. patent does not appear to disclose container adaptor means capable of being connected to the trunnions for reacting torque and lifting loads and for lifting the container.
A shielding container for storing weak to medially active waste in a storage barrel or drum which is surrounded by the shielding container is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,475 issued Nov. 8, 1938, in the name of Gerhard Kratz et al. entitled "Shielding Container for Storing Weak to Medially Active Waste". This shielding container is formed of concrete or another readily available and inexpensively manufactured material with good shielding properties, such as cast iron. The top surface of the container has undercuts for attaching gripper-tools, the undercuts being lined with an anchoring sheeting. The anchoring extends into the side-wall of the shielding container. The anchoring is formed of metal, so that the forces induced by the gripper tool into the concrete are well distributed into the concrete. Although the Kratz patent appears to disclose undercuts for attaching gripper-tools, the Kratz patent does not appear to disclose lifting lugs as described herein and does not appear to disclose container adaptor means capable of being connected to the lifting lugs for reacting torque and lifting loads and for lifting the container.
Carriers or transporters for radioactive slugs or capsules that have been exposed to radiation in a neutronic reactor or the like are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,909 issued July 11, 1950, in the name of Gerald Strickland entitled "Carrier for Radioactive Slugs". The body of the carrier disclosed in the Strickland patent has lateral carrying or body lifting arms enabling operators to lift and carry the transporter about. At the upper end of the body is a tapered opening or recess. A closure member in the form of a tapering plug shaped to fit into and close the opening is disclosed. The plug has other lifting arms that normally rest in U-shaped grooves in the body so that the top of the plug is flush with the top of the body. Although the Strickland patent appears to disclose lifting arms that rest in U-shaped grooves in the body, the Strickland patent does not appear to disclose lifting lugs completely disposed within and attached to a plurality of pockets recessed in the surface of the container as described herein. Moreover, the Strickland patent does not appear to disclose container adaptor means for reacting torque and lifting loads and for lifting the container.
Although the patents recited hereinabove disclose various containers for radioactive waste, these patents do not appear to disclose the volumetrically efficient container apparatus described herein.
Therefore, what is needed is a volumetrically efficient radioactive waste container apparatus, wherein the container apparatus includes a plurality of pockets recessed into the outside surface of the container, a plurality of lifting lugs each completely disposed within and attached to each pocket and further includes container adaptor means capable of being connected to the lifting lugs for reacting torque and lifting loads and for lifting the container.